HFFS Column – Part 1: Flexibility Wipes Away Inefficiency

May 13, 2015 by Jana Ujevic

In a five-column series, we will share how manufacturers can optimize their horizontal packaging lines. Our first article provides insight into how wet wipes manufacturers can benefit from flexible packaging lines with easy changeovers.

Whether scrubbing the floors, wiping your hands, or changing a baby, cleaning is one of life’s necessary evils. Fortunately, wet wipes bring convenience to a once daunting task. Whenever and wherever they are needed, users can simply grab a clean wet wipe and discard it when finished.

Flexible packages with re-sealable closures have the versatility of being distributed as is, or used as re-fills for hard packs. Die-cut technology can be easily incorporated into a horizontal flow wrapper lines to create a re-sealable opening from which to extract the wipes. Compared to solid tubs, flexible packaging also has the benefit of higher material savings and is lighter weight, which saves on transportation costs.

And one thing is for sure – there is nothing useful about a dry wet wipe. Bosch’s hermetic long-dwell sealing technology ensures high quality packs and lock in moisture. With the sealing time being independent of the machine’s speed, product waste is reduced and consistent seal quality on wet wipe packages ensured at all times, even during ramp up and ramp down periods.

Once the wet wipes are packed into their flow wraps, manufacturers can also incorporate robotics for automated secondary packaging. A single-source supplier of both primary and secondary packaging, such as Bosch, gives manufacturers the advantage of a complete solution with seamless integration.